Pump



Pnenad Dec. 13, 1949 PUMP Jakob R. Frei, Sidney, N. Y., assignor toBendix Aviation Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication November 18, 1942, Serial No. 466,047"

8 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to pump means and more particularly to a rotaryfluid pressure pump adapted for supercharging purposes.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSerial No. 462,126, filed October 15, 1942, now issued as U. S. PatentNo. 2,391,958, dated Jan. 1, 1946.

One object of the present invention is to provide novel rotary pumpmeans having the ,operating parts thereof arranged and housed in a novelmanner.

A further object is to provide the above pump means with a novellyconstructed rotor and a novel method of forming the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide pump apparatus embodyingnovel drive means.

A further object is to provide fluid pressure pump apparatus wherein theinlet and discharge ports are arranged and constructed in a. novelmanner.

Still another object is to provide the above apparatus with novellubricating means for the movable parts.

Still another object is to provide a rotary pump with novel means formounting the rotor thereof whereby a predetermined working clearancebetween said rotor and the parts housing the same is accuratelyestablished during assembly and maintained during operation.

A still further object is to provide a pump apparatus of the type havingan eccentrically mounted rotor and centrifugally actuated vanes whereinthe parts are associated in a novel manner so as to adapt the apparatusfor mounting intermediate the driving means and the driven member, forexample, of an ignition distributor.

Still another object is to embody pump apparatus of the above type withnovel means for insuring the safe operation of other parts driven by thesame shaft.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention willmore fully appear from the following detailed description when the sameis read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention, reference for this latter purpose being primarily had tothe appended claims. f l

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views, l Y

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one form of pump apparatus and mountingmeans therefor embodying the present invention, the section being takensubstantially along a plane coincident with the axis of rotation of thedrive means for the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;and,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of the inventionadapted for use, for example, as the supercharging means for thedistributor of the ignition system of an internal combustion engine. Asshown, the novel pump apparatus comprises an outer or main housingconsisting of two sections I0 and Il separated along a transverse planeand connected together by' suitable means, such as screws or bolts I2.Sections Ill and I I are preferably provided with a plurality of holesI3 (Fig. 3) adapted for receiving bolts or other suitable holding meanswhereby said housing may be operatively mounted in another housing to besupercharged or connected to an engine casingwithin said superchargedhousing, Within housing I0, II there is mounted a pump casing comprisingend plates I4 and a cylindrical wall member I5, which parts are held inoperative axial position relative to each other by sections I0 and I I.One or more holding members, such as pins I6 (Fig. 1), may be providedin each housing section for cooperation with said end plates to preventangular. movement of the latter relative to said housing, and suitablemeans, such as pins (not shown), may be employed to hold the parts ofcasing Il, I5 in fixed angular relation to each other. Eccentricallymounted relative to said casing is a hollow rotor shaft I'I which hasthe ends thereof suitably journaled in bearings I 8 preferably providedin each of sections I0, I I, said bearings serving also to axiallyposition said shaft. Concentrically mounted on rotor shaft Il in casingI4, I5 so as to be eccentric to the latter is a pump rotor I9 which issecured, for example, by a key 20 (Fig. 2) to said rotor shaft forrotation therewith. Key 20 is preferably formed from a readily shearablematerial so that if said rotor seizes or becomes otherwise lockedagainst movement during operation, the key will be first to fail andwill thereby protect the pump structure and the drive means connectedthereto against damage and also permit continued operation of the otherparts. A plurality of radial slots 2I are provided in said rotor andeach of said slots is adapted to slidably receive a vane or blade 22 sothat during operation of said rotor. said vanes are centrifugallyactuated into operative engagement with the inner wall of casing memberI5. Said vanes are preferably formed from molded phenolic material. Eachpair of said vanes cooperates with the inner walls of casing I4. I toform a peripheral pressure chamber therein, the latter having a volumewhich varies from a minimum to a maximum during each revolution of therotor.

Suitable means are provided in the illustrated embodiment to admit airto each of the pressure chambers as the latter attain a maximum volumeand to discharge air from each of said chambers as the latter approach aminimum volume. As shown, the air admission means comprises a suitablepassageway in housing III, I I, which connects with an inlet port 23 incasing I4, I5, said port being provided in wall member I5 and connectingwith a transverse groove 24 in the inner surface of said member. Saidgroove subtends a substantial arc in the direction of travel of thevanes and is adapted to connect said port with each pressure chamberfrom the time shortly after air is discharged from said chamber untilthe time the chamber assumes its maximum volume. The inlet passageway inhousing III, II is preferably provided in section I I and, as shown,comprises a radial passage 25 (Fig. 3) and a vertical passage 26, saidradial passage connecting at one end with port 23 and being sealed atthe other end by means of screw member or plug 21. To connect and airleakage between passage 25 and port 23. a sleeve or tube 28 prefer-Vably lines the interior of said passage and extends into an indentationin the outer wall of member I5 to connect with said port. Sleeve 28 ispreferably made of resilient material, such as neoprene, and is pressedinto fluid-tight engagement with wall member I5 around port 23 by aspring 29, which applies a pressure to said sleeve by bearing end a duct38 may be provided in screw member 3'1 or a suitable connection may bemade through parts I0 or II.

In order to prevent binding without introducing excessive clearance andattendant air leakage, novel means are provided for fixing the axialposition of the rotor relative to the pump casing whereby satisfactoryworking clearances may be obtained during assembly and maintained duringoperation without necessitating exact machining of all the assembledparts. As shown, said means comprise a pair of thrust bushings orbearings 2l (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted in each end wall I4 in engagementwith shaft I1. In order to ilx the bushings against axial displacement,each of the latter is preferably provided with a flange on the endthereof facing said rotor, which flange bears against a shoulderprovided in each end wall I4.

at one end thereof against a washer 3U which 50 engages the end of saidsleeve. The other end of said spring bears against screw member 21 andthe latter may have a lug formed on the inner end thereof to serve as aguide for said spring. Passage 25 connects at its upper end with passage25 and is preferably provided at its lower end with a bushing 3I tofacilitate a connection to the atmosphere through an outer housingwithin which the illustrated structure may be mounted.

Air is successively discharged from each pressure chamber of the pumpthrough a port 32 which connects with the chamber by means of atransverse slot or groove 33, said groove keeping said port incommunication with the chamber until substantially all the air in thelatter has been ejected therefrom. Connecting with said port is a radialpassage 34 which extends through housing section II and has a liner 35retained in operative position therein by a spring and plug arrangement3S, 31 similar to that which holds liner 28 of the inlet passage 25. Itis desirable that passage 34 open into the atmosphere surroundinghousing III, II', i. e., into the interior of the apparatus containingsaid housing, so that said apparatus may be supercharged, and to this Tobear against the flanged inner ends of bushings 39 and therebypredetermine the clearance between rotor I9 and end plates I4, thrustrings 4l are mounted in opposite ends of said rotor. It is to beunderstood that the clearances in the drawings have been exaggerated forpurposes of illustration and that the outer or bearing surface of eachof rings 4I|` may be flush with each end surface of the rotor. 'I'heclearance at the ends of the rotor is preferably determined by theextension of bearings 39 beyond the inner surfaces of end plates I4.

Novel means are provided for constantLv supplying a suitable quantity oflubricant to the parts of the above-described pump structure and, asshown, said means comprise annular masses 4I of fibrous oil-absorbentmaterial, such as felt. disposed to surround shaft I1 and to engage eachof end plates I4, said masses being mounted in annular chambers formedbetween each of sections I0, II and said end plates. Oil is supplied tosaid absorbent masses by suitable means comprising oil cups 42 mountedin each of said sections, said cups being connected to said masses bywicks 43. Each of sections III and II is suitably recessed to mount saidcups for ready access and to cause said wicks to contact the oil pads.Bearing bushings 39 are preferably constructed of porous bronze orsimilar material so that oil from pads 4I will seep therethrough to thesurfaces thereof which engage shaft I1 and thrust washers which arepreferably of a hardened metal.

The above-described pump apparatus is adapted to be connected to thedrive shaft 44 of a distributor or the like, said shaft, in the formillustrated, extending through the bore of rotor shaft I1 and beingdrivably connected to the latter shaft at its upper end, as viewed inFigs. 1 and 2, by suitable means, such as a spline and groovearrangement 45. A flange 46 is also preferably splined to the upper endof said drive shaft for rotation therewith and is axially held by a nut46' threaded on said shaft, said flange being adapted to have adistributor finger or other driven member mounted thereon. A suitableadjustable coupling mechanism 41, for example, of the type illustratedin the Spengler U. S. Patent No. 2,266,283, is incorporated in the lowerend of said drive sh'aft and is adapted to drivably connect the latterto the drive means therefor which may be the crankshaft of an internalcombustion engine.

Although rotor I9 may be of standard construction, it is preferablyconstructed in a novel manner to provide an extremely light but strongstructure. In the form illustrated, said rotor is formed in two axialsections Isa and IIb separated along a transverse plane perpendicular tothe axis of rotation, said sections being preferably cast and havingrecesses therein which open in the direction of said transverse plane ofseparation. The recesses are so arranged that when said sections aresecured to each other, said yfrecesses are in substantial alignment andproa) duce completely enclosed chambers 48 between each pair of slots 2i(Fig. 2).

To rigidly and permanently secure the sections to each other, the sameare welded together along their plane of separation. As a result, amaximum reduction of weight can be effected without reducing therequired strength of the rotor or introducing sources of leakage.

There is thus provided novel pump apparatus of the rotary type embodyinga novel eccentrically mounted rotor, said apparatus being driven andhoused in a novel manner so as to be mounted as a unit on the driveshaft of the apparatus adapted to be supercharged thereby. There is alsoprovided novel lubricating means, air inlet and discharge means andmeans for mounting the movable parts, whereby the efiicient and safeoperation of the pump is assured. In addition, the invention comprehendsa novel method for forming the rotor of a pump whereby a light, strongand inexpensive structure is produced. Although only a single embodimentof the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to beexpressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Variouschanges in the design and arrangement of parts may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as will now beapparent to those skilled in the art. For a deiiniton of the limits ofthe invention, reference is had primarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In apparatus of the class described, a housing comprising at leasttwo longitudinally spaced sections, a pump casing comprising end platesand a cylindrical wall member fixed in said housing against rotarymovement relative thereto, a rotor shaft extending through said casingand journaled at opposite ends in separate sections of said housing,said shaft being eccentrically mounted in relation to said casing wallmember, a rotor concentrically mounted on said shaft for rotationtherewith in said casing, thrust means including members xedly mountedin opposite ends of said rotor and in each of said casing end plates,said members being adapted to engage each other to x the axial positionof said rotor relative to said casing, radially disposed bladesslida'oly mounted in said rotor and adapted to be centrifugally actuatedduring rotor operation to form pressure chambers with said casing, meansincluding a radial passage in the inner surface of said casing wallmember for admitvting air into each of said chambers until the latterare substantially at maximum volume, and

means including a radial passage in the inner surface of said casingwall member for eiecting air discharge from said chambers as the latterapproach a minimum volume.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a housing, pump means mounted insaid housing and comprising a casing having a port therein, at least onefluid passage in said housing connecting with the interior of saidVcasing through said port, an axially slidable tubular member lining theinterior of said passage, and resilient means yieldably pressing an endof said member into fluid-tight engagement with said casing around saidport.

3. In a pump means comprising a casing and a rotor mounted for operationin said casing, a shaft on which said rotor is mounted for axialmovement relative thereto, thrust rings embedded in the end walls ofsaid rotor with their outer surfaces substantially flush with theroutersurfaces of said end walls, and thrust members mounted in the side wallsof said casing for slidably engaging said rings to axially position saidrotor relative to said casing.

4. In apparatus comprising a housing, a pump lcasing mounted in saidhousing and rotor means constructed and arranged to form a plurality oi'peripheral pressure chambers in the latter, the combination therewith ofmeans for successively connecting each of said chambers with theexterior of said housing, said last-named means comprising a channel onthe inner wall of said casing extending in the path of travel of saidrotor, a port connecting said channel to the exterior of said casing, apassage in said housing communicating with said port, and meansincluding a spring-pressed sleeve slidablymounted in said housing andengaged with said casing for rendering the connection between said portand said passage fluid-tight.

5. In apparatus comprising a housing, a pump casing mounted in saidhousing and including a cylindrical wall member, and rotor means adaptedfor rotation in said casing and being constructed and arranged to form aplurality of peripheral pressure chambers in the latter, the combinationtherewith of means for successively connecting each of said chamberswith the exterior of said housing, said last-named means comprising anarcuate groove in .the inner surface of said casing wall member adaptedto successively connect with each of said chambers, a port in said wallmember communicating with said groove, a passage in said housingcommunicating with said port, and yielding means en- 1 gaged with saidcasing and extending into said passage for rendering the connection:between said port and passage uidhtight.

6. A fluid pressure pump unit comprising a hollow housing which includestwo main sections rigidly secured together, a shaft extending throughsaid housing, .a bearing in each of said sections for rotatablysupporting said shaft, a cylindrical pump casing surrounding said shaftand clamped between said sections, said shaft being eccentric withrespect to the inner wall of said casing, rotor means in said casingconnected to said shaft for rotation therewith and axial movementrelative thereto, said casing and rotor means being adapted to cooperate`during rotation of the latter for compressing gases, and cooperablemeans xed on said casing and rotor means for maintaining a safeoperating clearance between the ends of the body portion of said rotormeans and said casing.

7. A fluid pressure pump unit comprising a- `hollow housing whichincludes two main sections rigidly secured together, a shaft extendingthrough said housing, a bearing in each of said u movement relativethereto, said casing and rotor means being adapted to cooperate duringrotation of the latter for compressing gases, bearing rings in the endsof said casing closely surrounding said shaft, and hardened thrust ringson opposite ends of the .body of said rotor means for engagement withsaid bearing rings, said thrust rings being embedded and iixed in saidrotor body and extending in an axial direction slightly beyond the endsurfaces of said rotor 8. A fluid pressure pump unit comprising arotatable shaft a cylindrical pump casing surrounding said shaft, saidshaft being eccentric with respect to the inner wall of said casing,means for rotatably supporting said shaft and fixing said casing againstaxial movement relative to said shaft, rotor means including a bodyportion mounted in said casing concentric with said shaft and operablyconnected to the latter for rotation therewith and axial movementrelative thereto, said casing and rotor means being adapted duringrotation of the latter for compressing gases, and cooperable means fixedon said rotor body and casing for maintaining a safe operating clearancebetween the ends of said rotor body and the end walls of said casing.

JAKOB R. FREI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

Number Number 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Stoker Jan. 31, 191iDeVilbiss Aug. 19, 1913 Lowe Apr. 9, 1918 Woock May 18, 1920 HawkinsJuly 3, 1923 Whitehead Dec. 15, 1925 Malbay Feb. 28, 1928 Mason July 3,1928 Sklovsky Sept. 25, 1928 Morgan Nov. 27, 1934 Linderman Aug. 9, 1938Nichols Nov. 8, 1938 Staley Sept. 24, 1940 Bast Dec. 23, 1941 DeLanceyJune 22, 1943 Hansen Feb. 1, 1944 Kendrick Jan. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Switzerland Dec. 1, 1921 Austria May 26, 1924 SwitzerlandFeb. 1, 1932 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1939

